Earlier this year, the comedian grew weary about the recurring opportunity, saying: “Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap.”
Earlier this year, the Academy Awards asked Jimmy Kimmel to return as host for the ceremony, marking his third time in the role. At the time, he grew weary about the recurring opportunity, saying: “Being invited to host the Oscars for a third time is either a great honor or a trap.” Now, he’s been called to helm the 2024 awards show, too.
Hollywood’s campaigning for the golden trophies has kicked into full gear since the end of the SAG-AFTRA strike last week. Kimmel made his late-night return in early October following the conclusion of the 148-day Writers Guild of America strike.
Kimmel first hosted the Oscars in 2017 — the year of the Moonlight vs La La Land mixup — then returned for the 2018 ceremony. With his fourth gig coming up, he joins Whoopi Goldberg and Jack Lemmon as the show’s only four-timers. If, for some reason, they invite him back in the future, he’ll be tied with five-time host Johnny Carson. The reigning Academy Awards hosting champions are Bob Hope, who has hosted 11 times, and Billy Crystal, who has hosted nine times.
During the 2023 ceremony, Kimmel had to tone down and cut a couple of jokes about the infamous Will Smith-Chris Rock slap that happened last year, when the show was hosted by Wanda Sykes, Regina Hall, and Amy Schumer. “We want you to have fun. We want you to feel safe. And most importantly, we want me to feel safe. So we have strict policies in place,” he joked during his monologue. “If anyone in this theater commits an act of violence at any point during the show, you will be awarded the Oscar for best actor and be permitted to give a 19-minute long speech.”
For 2024, Kimmel has an endless supply of potential material, from Hollywood’s double-strikes to the Barbenheimer boom.
